Method of weaving axminster fabric



May 30, 1961 w. WORTH METHOD OF WEAVING AXMINSTER FABRIC 1 a mv 5 W a n o V w a. 1% M Ma W 5 Z W W W m6 6 7 99 w 6 o. IIIZ I Original Filed March 12. 1959 74.

May 30, 1961 M. w. WORTH METHOD OF WEAVING AXMINSTER FABRIC 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Fil'ed March 12. 1959 y 0 1961 M. w. WORTH 2,986,175

- METHOD OF WEAVING AXMINSTER FABRIC Original Filed March 12, 1959 S'She ts-Sheet 3 y 1961 M. w. WORTH 2,986,175

METHOD OF WEAVING AXMINSTER FABRIC Original Filed March 12, 1959 5 heets-Sheet 4 May 30, 1961 M. w. WORTH METHOD OF WEAVING AXMINSTER FABRIC Origmal Filed March 12, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent METHOD OF WEAVTNG AXMINSTER FABRIC Maurice W. Worth, Glasgow, Va., assignor to James Lees and Sons Company, Bridgeport, Pa., a corporation of I Delaware Original application Mar. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 799,037. Di-

vided and this application Oct. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 844,127

4 Claims. (Cl. 139-401) This invention relates to the weaving of double face pile fabrics and more particularly to the apparatus and the weaving of an Axminster type fabric having uncut pile projections and cut pile projections on the opposite side.

This is a division of my pending application Serial No. 799,037, filed March 12, 1959.

The current sales potential for carpeting having variations in pile effects which are not purely matters of coloring has placed heavy demands upon the designers of fabrics and on the weaving equipment. The general weaving technique and the fabrics produced on the conventional Axminster loom are well known and need not be considered in detail here. The advantages of an Axminster fabric reside in the ability to provide a different color for each individual tuft or pair of pile projections. Generally speaking, however, it has been considered impossible ot vary the height of the pile projections or to provide a cut and uncut pile surface without drastic re-design of the loom and even then with only mediocre results. My co-pending application Serial No. 782,972 filed December 24, 1958, now Patent No. 2,946,350, discloses and claims a relatively simple and inexpensive modification for an Axminster loom by which it is pos-' sible to produce a cut and uncut pile surface on the same side of the fabric. However, once the loom is set upfor a particular weave, no variation is possible without stopping the loom to make adjustments or substitution of parts. The present invention provides a further variation in the weaving technique of Axminster fabrics in that it produces a uniform cut pile surface on one side and a substantially uniform loop pile surface on the opposite side.

- A primary object, therefore, is to provide an attachment for an Axminster loom by means of which a double face cut and uncut fabric may be produced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wiping arm movable with the tuft tubes to control and position the pile ends dipped into the shed in such a way that the bight of each pile yarn is carried through the shed to form loop pile projections on the underside of the fabric as it is being woven.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method for weaving a double face cut and uncut Axminster fabric.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an Axminster type fabric having double fillling wefts and cut pile projections on one face which extend through to the opposite face to provide loop pile projections.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a double filling weft Axminster type fabric, U shaped pile tufts which present an uncut pile surface on one side of the fabric extending through the ground of the fabric and between at least one pair of double wefts and thence on to the ohter side of the fabric to form cut pile projections. I

' Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings in which: i i Fig. 1 is an enlarged diagrammatic view or weave dia- 2,986,175 Patented May 30, 196 1 "ice gram of a fabric woven in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a view as seen at 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional detail showing one of the tube frames about to be removed from the crib chain by means of the clutch arms,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 as seen at 4-4 of Fig. 5 with the clutch arms advanced to unlock the tube frame from the chain,

Fig. 5 is a view showing schematically the various weaving mechanisms of my improved Axminste'r loom,

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail showing parts of the dip and tip mechanism and the various actuating means therefor,

Fig. 7 is a perspective of a portion of the structure of Fig. 6,

a tuft wiping bar or element which is positively controlled to hold the ends of all the tufts up against the sides of the tuft tubes during dipping of the tuft tubes into the shed. The extent of this dipping insures that the bights of each folded back tuft extend through the warp yarns a sufiicient distance to provide an uncut pile face on the bottom of the fabric.

The fabric itself, when woven in accordance with the present invention, is characterized as a two shot Axmin ster fabric in which the pile projections are dipped into the shed immediately after the bottom double weft and. half of the upper weft are carried forward by the weft dividers, .In the finished fabric, this provides adequate tuft bind because of the offset position of the pile yarns; as they pass through the ground of the fabric. This condition is shownclearly in Figure 1. p I

The fabric, having preferred tuft bind, comprises'elone gated pile yarns 20, 20 which terminate uniformly on one side of the fabric in double pile projections 22,22 and: on the opposite side of the fabric in pile loops or bights" 23, 23. The pile tufts 22 extend upwardly between the upper fillings 24 and 25 which comprise each double upper filling weft. The lower filling weft 26 is not split, with the result that upon beating up the second half 24 of the twof double filling wefts 24 and 25, the pile ends 20 are forced warpwise in the fabric to become locked around the" upper and lower wefts 24, 25 and 26. If desired, one or more stuffer warps 27 may be employed and the fabric is tied together by means of pairs of opposed chain warps- 28 and 29.

The weaving of this novelAxminster fabric is accom-' plished by means of awiper arm 35 which is supported tice. At the proper time in the weaving cycle, the tube.

frames pause at a station corresponding generally to that dip and tip'mechanism indicated generally at 48. 'Ihis comprises a pair of clutch arms 49 having a-pair of a clutch arm ears 50, 50 positioned to engage the lower extremities of tube frame bracket 51 as seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The clutch arms 49 are pivoted on a post 55 and retained thereon by means of a nut 56 and washer 57. Actuation of the clutch arms is accomplished by means of a suitable controlling or driving connection 58. It will be understood that only one side or end of the dip and tip mechanism is shown, and that the other side is an allochiral duplicate. The pivoting of clutch arms 49 on their posts 55 separates the clutch arm cars 50 a sufiicient distance to permit the next tube frame 46 to move into the aligned position shown generally in Figs. 3-5. The crib chains 47 on which the tube frames are carried operate over a series of sprockets 60 which are in turn keyed to shafts 61. In this position the control rod 58 is actuated to swing the clutch arms 49 inwardly against the ends of the tube frame plates 51 and to disengage the spring loaded latch 62 which holds the tube frames on the links of chain 47. An aligning pin 63 secured to each end of tube frame plate 51 enables the tube frames to -be re-attached to the chain 47 upon return to the same position by means of tube frame carrier. The clutch arms 49 are dipped under control of a dip rod 65 fastened to the dip and tip mechanism at 66. This mechanism pivots around a center 67 which is rigidly secured to the loom as in standard practice. In addition to the dipping motion around center 67, the clutch arm ears 50, 50 are journaled at 68 to impart the tipping motion. Control of the tipping isachieved by means of a lever 69 formed integrally with the ears and actuated from a cam 70, through cam follower 71 on rocker arm 72, spring loaded shaft 73, lever 74, and rod 75 pivoted at 76 which is in turn connected to the lever 69 through a universal joint 77 and a rod 78.

Vertical control of wiper bar 35 is accomplished by means of cammed surfaces 80 on the clutch arm ear assembly. When the clutch arms converge, as shown in Fig. 4, the rods 37 are elevated onto the upper surfaces 81 of cams 80, thus wiping up the tufts around the tuft tubes as will be described more fully hereinafter. Diverging movement of the clutch arms permits the rods 37 to drop to the position shown in Fig. 3 which in turn drops the wiping bar 35 below the extremities of the tuft tubes. In one portion of the weaving cycle, it is required that the wiping bar 35 rest upon and be elevated by some of the warp yarns. To permit this movement to take place and also to enable the wiper bar to be actuated, I connect theopposite end of rod 37 to a lever 85 which in turn is journaled on shaft 86 and spring loaded at 87. A limit stop88 controls the clockwise movement of lever 85. A link 89 slotted at 90 connects the opposite end of lever 85 to a pin 91 which in turn forms the pivotal connecting element between lever 74 and rod 75. Lever 74 is likewise provided with a spring 92 and limit stop 93 which control the turning of lever 74 around its shaft 94. A guide 95 prevents the rod 37 from undesired lateral movement when it is being elevated through contact with the warp yarns.

Referringnowmore particularly to Figs. and 8-14, an Axminster loom is provided with the conventional breast plate 100 over which the completed fabric F is drawn bymeans of suitable pin take-up rolls, not shown. The comb 101 serves to hold the fell of the fabric in position on the breast plate. The usual oscillating cutting means consists of a back knifestock 102 having the back knife 103 attached thereto and the front knife stock 104 which in turn carries the front knife 105. The chain or binder warps 106 and 107 are controlled in the usual manner by means of harnesses 108 and 109 which together with the stufier 110 form the warp sheds. In the present loom, I utilize a pair of weft inserting needlesy115 and 116 which advance'simultaneously into the upper shed S1 and the lower shed S2 respectively. When the needles are withdrawn .(Fig. 8), the .weft

dividers 117, located at each selvage, advance to separate the double weft 26 inserted in the lower shed S2 and the single lower weft 25 inserted in the upper shed S1. In the meantime, the tube frame 46 has begun its dipping and tipping motion preparatory to inserting the pile yarns 20.

The dummy reed 118 now advances to beat up the double weft 26 and the single weft 25, during which operation the comb 101 retracts as do the weft dividers 117 (Fig. 9). At this point the tuft tubes 119 are dipped into and through both sheds S1 and S2 as shown in Fig. 10, thus permitting the pile yarns 20 to extend substantially through both sheds. Contact between the wiper bar 35 and the upper warps 106 of shed S1 pushes the bar 35 upwardly as shown in Fig. 10 against the pressure of spring 87, thus wiping all of the pile yarns 20 up and against the outer rear surfaces of the tuft tubes 119. The reed 120 now advances to beat up the fourth weft 24 against the looped over pile yarns 20 as the tuft tubes withdraw upwardly and forwardly as shown in Fig. 11. Immediately prior to this withdrawal of the tuft tubes, the pile yarns 20 are held firmly in place by means of the bar 35 and the upper chain warps 106 as seen in Fig. 10a. If desired, the upper extremity of the reed maybe curved as shown in Figs. 5 and 11 to provide a beat up that may be at any desired angle to the plane of the fabric. During and prior to beat-up, the

. harnesses 108 and 109 reverse to form the next subsequent shed as shown in Fig. 11. The tube frame 46 is retracted to its initial position in line with the crib chain 47 but in the meantime, the dummy reed 118 has been supplanted with the comb 101 which holds the pile yarns 20 in the fell of the fabric during retraction of the tube frame 46 and the consequent unwinding of more pile yarns from spool 45. The knives 103 and 105 are then advanced to cut the pile projections on top of the fabric as shown in Fig. 12, whereupon the crib chain 47 advances to present the next tube frame 46a in position fora repetion of the cycle.

Particular attention is directed to Fig. 14 which shows how the pileyarns 20 which extend from the tuft tubes are wiped up and around the backs of the tuft tubes when the next tube frame 46a is brought into position. Figure 13 shows the relative position of the wiping bar 35 and the tuft tubes 119 as the tube frame 46 returns to the chain. However, as the clutch arms 49 diverge, the bar 35 drops to permit the succeeding tube frame 46 to align itself with the clutch arm cars and to pass over the bar 35 because the rods 37 have now dropped to the lower position on the clutch ear assembly.

The ability to control the height of the pile projections to provide uniform loop height on the back of the fabric is a remarkable feature of the invention and depends in part upon the pressure exerted by spring 87. Originally the loops 23 are inserted to asomewhat greater depththrough theshed than the previously formed'loops as shown in Fig. 10a. Upon retraction of the tuft tubes,

' howevennot only the bights of the loops are pulled up to a uniform height, but the cut end 22 of each pile yarn is drawnupwardly to-the same or a slightly higher elevation thanlthat of the previous cut ends. In this way a minimum of waste pile yarn may be achieved.

The present invention contemplates a relatively inexpensive modification to a conventional Axminster loom whereby it is possible to provide a highly satisfactory double face Axminster type fabric which, of course, will have a design'on both sides and is, therefore, completely reversible. Unlike most reversible rugs, the present fabric provides a cut pile on-one face and an uncut pile texture on the opposite face.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim:

1. The method of weaving an Axminster double face fabric which comprises the steps of :forming apairof sheds having binder warps'on the top and bottom of eachshed,

stuffer warps in the center of the shed, inserting double weft filling shots simultaneously into each shed, dipping a bight of pile yarn into and through each shed, beating up said bight of pile yarn around the fell to form an uncut pile loop projection extending below the fell, and severing one leg of the bight at a spaced distance above the fell of the fabric being woven.

2. The method of weaving an Axminster double face fabric which comprises the steps of forming a pair of sheds having binder warps on the top and bottom of each shed, stuifer warps in the center of the shed, inserting double weft filling shots simultaneously into each shed, dipping a bight of pile yarn into and through each shed, beating up said bight of pile yarn, dividing at least-one of the double wefts, and severing one leg of the bight at a spaced distance above the fell of the fabric being woven.

3. The method of weaving an Axminster double face fabric which comprises the steps of forming a pair of sheds having binder warps on the top and bottom of each shed, stufier warps in the center of the shed, inserting 20 double weft filling shots simultaneously into each shed, maintaining pressure on one of the pile yarn legs during insertion into the shed, dipping a bight of pile yarn into and through each shed, beating up said 'bight of pile yarn around the fell to form an uncut pile loop projection extending below the fell, and severing one leg of the bight at a spaced distance above the fell of the fabric being woven.

4. The method of weaving an Axminster double face fabric which comprises the steps of forming a pair of sheds having binder warps on the top and bottom of each shed, stutter warps in the center of the shed, inserting double weft filling shots simultaneously into each shed, maintaining pressure on one of the pile yarn legs during insertion int-o the shed, dipping a bight of pile yarn into and through each shed, beating up said bight of pile yarn, dividing at least one of the double wefts, and severing one leg of the bight at a spaced distance above the fell of the fabric being Woven.

Shuttleworth Feb. 12, 1935 Hughes Aug. 27, 1957 

